Castro Valley Swimming Pool Death: Child at Daycare

Recently, I discussed a tragic drowning which occurred at the Castro Valley High School Swim Center in my posting “Castro Valley Swimming Pool Drowning: Lack of Supervision?” More information has now come to light. At the time of the drowning, the little boy was under the care of a daycare center, Kids Care Plus. His parents were not at the pool but had trusted the daycare center to take good care of him.

According to the news report, the daycare center would not answer reporters’ questions about the drowning. Questions will be asked however, and they will have to be answered. When a daycare takes on the responsibility of caring for young children, they have the legal obligation to take all reasonable steps for the safety of the children under their care. Additionally, daycare centers are regulated by the State. There are certain staffing ratios that the centers must meet. The ratios range from 1 staff member to 4 children for the youngest, all the way up to 1 staff person to 14 children for older kids. There are numerous other regulations about proper training and background checks of their employees.

As an Oakland personal injury attorney, I have seen many unfortunate accidents over the years where young children were injured at daycare centers, or in after school programs. Usually, these injuries occur because of improper training of the staff, and inadequate numbers of staff members. Kids Care Plus will ultimately have to answer questions like these and many others about how this drowning occurred on their watch.

We serve clients throughout California including those in the following localities: Alameda County including Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Dublin, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, and Oakland; Contra Costa County including Alamo, Danville, El Cerrito, Hercules, Lafayette, Orinda, Richmond, San Ramon, and Walnut Creek; and San Francisco.